Footwear storage and display assembly

ABSTRACT

A footwear storage and display assembly includes a pair of side support frames and one or more tiers of shoe mounts interconnecting the side support frames. Each tier includes a pair of horizontal support rods, one or more lateral support rod interconnecting the horizontal support rods, and a plurality of inverted U-shaped shoe mounts extending upwardly the horizontal support rods. Each of the shoe mounts has a trough formed in an upper portion thereof. Each of the shoe mounts preferably extends angularly from its horizontal support rod in the direction of the other horizontal support rod. In operation, each of the shoe mounts is capable of supporting a shoe suspended from the trough. The assembly can further include a top shelf that extends horizontally between the upper portions of the side support frames.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(s)

The present application is related to and claims priority benefits from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/502,928 filed on Sep. 15, 2003. The '928 application is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a footwear storage and display assembly. More particularly, the present invention relates to a convenient-to-assemble device for storing and displaying footwear in which the device is formed from welded wire and, when assembled, provides versatile storage and display capabilities.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The problem the present device is designed to overcome is the accommodation of many different types of footwear, particularly shoes, sandals, slippers and the like (collectively “shoes”), in a single footwear storage and display assembly. Prior, conventional shoe racks are particularly unsuited to thong/strap-type shoes. In this regard, prior shoe racks with an inverted U-shape mounting saddle are generally incapable of properly holding and displaying thong shoes. Prior mounting saddles have insufficient space for the toe portion of a thong/strap shoe. As a result, thong/strap shoes tend to slide down and hang off conventional, inverted U-shape mounting saddles. As a result, thong shoe straps stretch out and the shape of the shoes is often lost. Also, shoes that hang off a support rod instead of resting on a mounting saddle tend to hang much lower than the rest of the shoes on conventional racks, thus covering the shoes directly below, and making the identification and removal of the shoes difficult.

As mentioned above, prior, conventional shoe rack designs have also failed to effectively accommodate thong/strap shoes. Such conventional designs are generally limited to flat shelf-type racks that can accommodate only a limited number of shoes on each flat shelf making up the rack. A back-of-the-door type hanging rack with shoe pockets could also accommodate thong/strap shoes, but the shoes would be forced and compacted into the pockets, thus losing their shape.

Storage boxes could also accommodate thong/strap shoes, but conventional non-transparent boxes do not permit a wearer to readily identify the shoes inside the storage box. Also, since only one pair of shoes can generally be stored in a box, this method requires several boxes and a large amount of storage space to accommodate the number of boxes involved.

An exemplary prior art design is described in Stein U.S. Pat. No. D165,942, which discloses a wire-loop shoe rack. The shape of Stein's mounting projections are unsuited to thong/strap shoes, however, because the mounting projections of this and other similar shoe racks do not contain a dip or a notch or a trough that would keep the thong/strap shoes in place on an inverted U-shaped mounting saddle, as in the present assembly.

Thong/strap shoes are designed to include only the amount of material necessary to sit between the toes and without additional material to extend around the entire foot. Since thong/strap shoes are designed to be inserted between the toes, they are unable to rest on top of an inverted U-shape mounting projection, which lack a slit or other similar feature to engage and secure the thong/strap shoes.

The present footwear storage and display assembly has several unique structural and functional features that distinguish it from prior, conventional show rack designs. One such feature is its simplicity and ease of assembly. In its simplest preferred embodiment, the present assembly includes just six (6) separate pieces that make up the entire rack:

-   -   a pair of horizontally spaced apart, vertically extending side         support frames, each frame preferably formed from a continuous         piece of wire bent into an inverted U-shaped configuration, with         a lateral support rod connecting the open ends at the bottom of         the frame for structural stability;     -   three tiers of shoe mounts, each tier interconnecting the side         support frames and preferably including: (a) a pair of laterally         spaced apart, horizontally extending tier support rods, (b) a         pair of lateral support rod interconnecting the tier support         rods, and (c) eight inverted U-shaped shoe mounts extending         upwardly from each of the tier support rods, each of the shoe         mounts having a trough formed in an upper portion thereof such         that each of the shoe mounts is capable of supporting a shoe         suspended from the trough; and     -   a top shelf extending horizontally between the upper portions of         the side support frames.

The present assembly employs pin-in-sleeve connections that permit easy assembly without special tools or fasteners. The present assembly is freestanding and stackable, accommodates more shoes in less space, and also makes the shoes mounted on the front and rear faces of the assembly easily accessible from just one side of the assembly, thereby providing more efficient use of available storage space. The present assembly is also formed from spaced apart components, which facilitate the circulation of air and prevent the accumulation of odors in the vicinity of the assembly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One or more shortcomings of prior, conventional shoe rack designs are overcome by a footwear storage and display assembly that includes:

-   -   (a) a pair of horizontally spaced apart, vertically extending         side support frames; and     -   (b) at least one tier of shoe mounts interconnecting the side         support frames, the at least one tier comprising:         -   a pair of laterally spaced apart, horizontally extending             tier support rods,         -   at least one lateral support rod interconnecting the             horizontal support rods, and         -   a plurality of inverted U-shaped shoe mounts extending             upwardly from at least one of the tier support rods, each of             the shoe mounts having a trough formed in an upper portion             thereof, whereby each of the shoe mounts is capable of             supporting a shoe suspended from the trough.

In a preferred embodiment, the assembly preferably further includes: (c) a top shelf extending horizontally between the upper portions of the side support frames.

Each of the shoe mounts preferably extends angularly from the at least one tier support rod in the direction of the other tier support rod. When extending from both tier support rods, a plurality of the inverted U-shaped shoe mounts extend upwardly from each tier support rod, and each of the shoe mounts extends angularly from its respective tier support rod in the direction of the other tier support rod.

The assembly preferably includes a plurality of vertically spaced apart tiers interconnecting the side support frames.

In a preferred embodiment, each of the side support frames is formed from a continuous piece of wire bent into an inverted U-shaped configuration. A lateral support rod connects the open bottom ends of the bent wire.

In a further preferred embodiment, each tier support rod has pins extending downwardly from opposite ends thereof, and each of the side support frames has tubular sleeves attached thereto. The sleeves are alignable with the pins such that insertion of the pins into the sleeves removably connects and secures the at least one tier support rod to the side support frames.

Similarly, the top shelf preferably has pins extending downwardly from opposite ends thereof and each of the side support frames has tubular sleeves attached thereto. The side support sleeves for the top shelf are alignable with the top shelf pins such that insertion of the pins into the sleeves removably connects and secures the top shelf to the side support frames.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present footwear storage and display assembly.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the front face of the footwear storage and display assembly of FIG. 1, illustrating each of the separate pieces of the assembly.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the side face of the footwear storage and display assembly of FIG. 1, illustrating in particular the angled orientation of the shoe mounts in each of three tiers.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the shoe mount circled in FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

Turning now to the figures, a footwear storage and display assembly 10 includes a pair of horizontally spaced apart, vertically extending side support frames 20 a, 20 b and three tiers 14 a, 14 b, 14 c of shoe mounts interconnecting side support frames 20 a, 20 b. As shown in FIGS. 1-3, each of side support frames 16 a, 16 b is preferably formed from a continuous piece of wire bent into an inverted U-shaped configuration. Lateral support rods 26 a, 26 b connect the open bottom ends of U-shaped wires 22 a, 22 b, respectively, as best shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. Lateral support rods 26 a, 26 b are preferably welded to U-shaped wires 22 a, 22 b.

As further shown in FIGS. 1-3, each of tiers 14 a, 14 b, 14 c includes a pair of laterally spaced apart, horizontally extending tier support rods, designated in FIGS. 1-3 as horizontal support rods 46 a, 46 b. In the illustrated embodiment, a pair of lateral support rods 44 a, 44 b interconnect horizontal support rods 46 a, 46 b. A plurality of inverted U-shaped shoe mounts, two of which are designated in FIGS. 1-3 as shoe mounts 42 a, 42 b, which extend upwardly from tier support rods 46 a, 46 b.

As depicted in more detail in FIG. 4, shoe mount 42 a includes two substantially straight portions 42 b, 42 c that extend upwardly from horizontal support rod 46 a. The upper ends of straight portions 42 b, 42 c are capped by an approximately M-shaped portion that includes a trough 42 f interposed between two raised portions 42 d and 42 e. The trough configuration of shoe mount 42 a is capable of supporting a shoe suspended from the trough.

FIGS. 1-3 shows top shelf 32 extending horizontally between the upper portions of side support frames 20 a, 20 b. Top shelf 32 includes laterally spaced, horizontal support bars 34 and a number of closely spaced shelf members 36 extending laterally and supported from below by support bars 34. Besides providing additional storage area for shoes and other stored items, top shelf 32 shields the shoes mounted on the tiers below from dust that might descend from above the shoes mounted on the tiers of the assembly.

As best shown in FIG. 3, shoe mounts 42 a, 42 b extend angularly from respective tier support rods 46 a, 46 b and in the direction of the other tier support rod.

In a preferred configuration best illustrated in FIG. 2, each of side support frames 20 a, 20 b includes a continuous piece of wire bent into an inverted U-shaped configuration (the uppermost portion of the inverted U-shaped wire is depicted in FIGS. 1-3 as upper lateral connective portions 24 a, 24 b. Lateral support rods 26 a, 26 b connect the open bottom ends of the U-shaped wire.

Each of tier support rods 46 a, 46 b has pins, two of which are designated in FIGS. 1 and 2 as pins 48 a, 48 b, extending downwardly from opposite ends of support rods 46 a, 46 b. Each of side support frames 20 a, 20 b has a corresponding tubular sleeve attached thereto. Two such sleeves are shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 as sleeves 28 a, 28 b. As shown, sleeves 28 a, 28 b are alignable with pins 48 a, 48 b such that insertion of pins 48 a, 48 b into sleeves 28 a, 28 b securely connects tier support rods 46 a, 46 b to side support frames 20 a, 20 b, respectively. Sleeves 28 a, 28 b are preferably attached to frames 20 a, 20 b by welding.

Similarly, top shelf 32 has pins, two of which are designated in FIGS. 1 and 2 as pins 38 a, 38 b, extending downwardly from opposite ends of top shelf 32. Each of side support frames 20 a, 20 b has corresponding tubular sleeves attached thereto (not specifically designated with numerals in the figures), which are alignable with the top shelf pins such that insertion of the top shelf pins into the corresponding sleeves securely connects top shelf 32 to side support frames 20 a, 20 b.

The front face of the present assembly is capable of holding one of a pair of shoes, while the rear face is capable of holding the other shoe directly behind it. The shoes are mounted so that the soles and heels of the shoes face each other, thereby avoiding exposure of the soiled bottom of the shoes. The angled mounting configuration also displays the full visage of the shoe, thereby making shoe selection more efficient.

The angled mounting configuration of the present assembly also improves its structural stability. In this regard, the inwardly-facing angled shoe mounts enhance the lateral and torsional stability and sturdiness of the assembly. The inwardly-angled mounting configuration locates most of the shoes' weight in the middle of the assembly, and permits the assembly to assume a height greater than that of conventional shoe rack designs. The shoe weight distribution in the present assembly also prevents the assembly from wavering on carpeted surfaces.

The illustrated embodiment accommodates 24 different pairs of shoes to be stored and displayed. The assembly provides ample space between the tiered horizontal support rods to make the shoes easily accessible from the rear shoe mounts.

Alternatively, if the user prefers not to place one shoe on the front face of the assembly and one shoe on the rear face, the user can mount 12 pairs on the front face for current use, and 12 pairs on the rear face for storage (for example, summer and winter shoes). In such an arrangement, the assembly can be rotated when the season changes.

The present footwear storage and display assembly is distinguished from prior, conventional devices in that the mounting projections have a trough or notch formed in the middle portion of the shoe mount. The trough allows the toe portion of a thong or strap shoe to rest securely on a saddle-shaped mount without sliding off. The shoe mounts of the present assembly is also capable of holding closed and open shoes and sandals, in addition to thong/strap shoes.

Employing pin-in-sleeve connection mechanisms permits easy assembly without special tools or fasteners like screws or nuts/bolts. The sleeves are slightly larger in diameter than the corresponding pins such that the pins slide snugly into the sleeves and remain within the sleeves when a shoe is removed from the mount.

The pin-in-sleeve connections allow the component pieces of the present assembly to slide securely into place. The top shelf and three tiers of shoe mounts are designed to be supported at their corners.

The present assembly also makes the shoes mounted on the front and rear faces easily accessible from just one side of the assembly, thereby enabling the assembly to be located against a wall and still allowing access to the shoes from just one face. This capability provides more efficient use of available storage space. The present assembly also stores more shoes in less space (24 pairs in only 3 tiers), permitting the rack to be located under clothes hanging in a closet.

The present assembly has additional advantages over conventional pocket-type shoe storage designs, which not only hide shoes stored in their pockets, but also crumple the shoes. Shoes stored in such pockets lose their shape over time, and also prolong exposure of the shoe material to moisture and grime if the shoes were placed in the pockets while damp or dirty. The present assembly is also formed from spaced apart components, which facilitate the circulation of air and prevent the accumulation of odors in the vicinity of the assembly.

The present assembly also has advantages over behind-the-door shoe storage rack designs, which are designed to be mounted permanently and require holes to be drilled into the door. The present assembly, by contrast, is freestanding and stackable.

While particular steps, elements, embodiments and applications of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be understood, of course, that the invention is not limited thereto since modifications can be made by persons skilled in the art, particularly in light of the foregoing teachings. It is therefore contemplated by the appended claims to cover such modifications as incorporate those steps or elements that come within the scope of the present invention. 

1. A footwear storage and display assembly comprising: (a) a pair of horizontally spaced apart, vertically extending side support frames; and (b) at least one tier of shoe mounts interconnecting said side support frames, said at least one tier comprising: a pair of laterally spaced apart, horizontally extending tier support rods, at least one lateral support rod interconnecting said horizontal support rods, and a plurality of inverted U-shaped shoe mounts extending upwardly from at least one of said tier support rods, each of said shoe mounts having a trough formed in an upper portion thereof, whereby each of said shoe mounts is capable of supporting a shoe suspended from said trough.
 2. The assembly of claim 1 further comprising: (c) a top shelf extending horizontally between the upper portions of said side support frames.
 3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein each of said shoe mounts extends angularly from said at least one tier support rod in the direction of the other tier support rod.
 4. The assembly of claim 1 wherein each of said tier support rods has a plurality of said inverted U-shaped shoe mounts extending upwardly therefrom and each of said shoe mounts extends angularly from its respective tier support rod in the direction of the other tier support rod.
 5. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said at least one tier of shoe mounts comprises a plurality of vertically spaced apart tiers interconnecting said side support frames.
 6. The assembly of claim 1 wherein each of said side support frames comprises a continuous piece of wire bent into an inverted U-shaped configuration and a lateral support rod connecting the open bottom ends of said wire.
 7. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said at least tier support rod has pins extending downwardly from opposite ends thereof and wherein each of said side support frames has tubular sleeves attached thereto, said sleeves alignable with said pins such that insertion of said pins into said sleeves removably connects said at least one tier support rod to said side support frames.
 8. The assembly of claim 2 wherein said top shelf has pins extending downwardly from opposite ends thereof and wherein each of said side support frames has tubular sleeves attached thereto, said sleeves alignable with said pins such that insertion of said pins into said sleeves removably connects said top shelf to said side support frames. 